Carrot Colada from Gluten Free Easily

If memory serves me correctly, Shirley is one of the very first bloggers I met in the GF community (or maybe it’s just that it feels as if we’ve known each other a long time!). Somehow, we got to chatting via email, and I discovered that Shirley is one of those open, friendly, and generous bloggers who automatically makes blogging newbies feel welcome and comfortable. If you’ve got a question or a problem, she’s always happy to help. Shirley is also really active within her local gluten-free community, helping folks to learn more about the GF lifestyle and living gluten-free EASILY–using real, whole foods that are naturally gluten-free. She has a wealth of knowledge about living gluten-free and maintaining a healthy gluten-free lifestyle; and any time I have questions about what is or isn’t gluten-free (or how to find out), Shirley is my go-to person!

Last summer, I had the great pleasure of finally meeting Shirley in person when she came to Toronto to speak at a conference and we shared a fabulous dinner at Il Fornello with a couple of other bloggers. I’m happy to report that she is just as warm, affable, and good-humored in person as she is on her blog. That’s one of my favorite benefits of blogging: getting to meet up with old, dear friends–whom you’ve never met before!

Today, Shirley shares another quick and easy treat–one with fruit AND vegetables.

I’m so honored to be sharing a guest post on Ricki’s blog today. I’ve been a fan of Ricki’s for years! I actually got to meet her “In Real Life” last summer — a definite highlight of 2013!

You all know that Ricki is a doll and she creates such incredible recipes. She is truly ingenious with her creations — offering a complexity of flavors and textures in her recipes. When Ricki creates a recipe with just a few ingredients using a very simple, easy concept, she almost apologizes by putting it in its own category; i.e., “flash in the pan.” Honestly, I often love those recipes more than her other recipes — and that’s saying a lot!

You see…I am all about those kinds of recipes all the time. Those recipes are the essence of my gluten free easily approach, which some might call too easy or borrrring … or simply lazy. Ha! So I like to support my propensity for simplicity with quotes like this one: “There is great satisfaction hidden within simplicity.” Thanks to Anthony Douglas Williams for that one, and I really think this wisdom can be true for food and life in general.

Most often, I love simple recipes that are made with real food, whole food that I have on hand. This Carrot Colada that I’m sharing today qualifies.

I don’t have a juicer because I am pretty sure that I’d consume more of the sweet juices than I’d need, but occasionally I purchase fresh carrot juice and add it to my smoothies. (And I also love it when friends with juicers come for extended visits and we juice daily!) Carrots are healthy and naturally sweet, of course, and carrot juice brings those factors plus such a lovely orange color to smoothies.

With this Carrot Colada, I added just a few other ingredients that I always have in my refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. That would be bananas (I won’t tell you how many are in my freezer right now; I’m a banana hoarder!), coconut milk (my favorite non-dairy milk), and baby spinach (great for salads of course, but wonderful for both its nutrition and mild flavor in smoothies as well). This Carrot Colada is so simple yet so satisfying and good for you!

Incidentally, if you’re a big fan of pineapple in your coladas — as in pina coladas — you can certainly add some to this recipe (I’d skip the rum though, especially in the a.m.), but this Carrot Colada is plenty sweet “as is” and offers you enough of a tropical vibe with only the bananas and coconut milk.

Add all to your Vitamix (or any good blender) and blend, slowly increasing from low to high, until the spinach is fully incorporated. (This will only take about a minute or so.) Serve. I like to drink half in the morning and the other half for my afternoon snack. Bottoms up!

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Shirley Braden has lived gluten free since June 2003. She is a long-time gluten-free support group leader as well as a local, state, national, and international speaker. She teaches gluten-free individuals how to live easily, economically, and healthily with her gluten free easily–gfe—approach. Her award-winning blog by the same name is very popular. Shirley also hosts another fairly new blog, All Gluten-Free Desserts … All The Time, where she shares all categories of fabulous gluten-free desserts from the blogging community. Find Shirley on Facebook and twitter.

This post is shared on Allergy-Free Wednesdays.

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I definitely use my blender more than my juicer! And I didn’t actually attend the event that Shirley spoke at (it was a very specialized event), but took advantage of the fact that it was here in the Toronto area to meet up. Great decision!! 😀

Well, you certainly can’t go wrong with those ingredients! And it’s that time of year when I start craving smoothie type drinks for breakfast rather than hot cereal. I’ve been using my VitaMix for soup blends for the past few months — it’s time to shift gears. Thanks for the inspiration, Shirley and Ricki.
Melissa

What a fantastic simple juice – I really love Ricki’s complex recipes but sometimes just need the simplicity. I don’t have a juicer either but sometimes buy carrot juice because it is just really yummy and would be great here!

First, Ricki, thanks so much for your truly lovely introduction! It tickles me that you and HH enjoy some of my recipes so much! 🙂 It’s such an honor to guest post and share a healthy colada/smoothie recipe here. I really appreciate everyone else’s comments, too!

Janae–It’s great to meet you, too! Meeting our online friends IRL is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and you already “know” them when you meet face to face, right? So there’s no time wasted on exploratory small talk. 😉 You just revel in the joy of face-to-face conversations! 🙂

Hallie–Great point! I am always underhydrated this time of year with our wood stove going and that’s saying a lot for me, the girl who is like the little girl in Signs. Remember? 😉

Melissa–Thanks, dear! Spring and warmth are getting closer, right? 😉 Perhaps I also like this one because the orange color represents the warmth of the sun that’s been lacking this winter? 😉 I need smoothie analysis! LOL

Alisa–Oh, yes, you must try! It’s such an easy and delicious way to get in all that nutrition. I love it when healthy tastes so good! 😉

Lexie–I’m so sorry you all have been so ill! Boo on that. 🙁 Great idea to add in some natural probiotic action! Hope it keeps you well!

Johanna–We are definitely on the same page! I don’t buy carrot juice often, but am always so pleased when I do. Thanks so much!

Hi Shirley, your Carrot Colada sounds delicious! I’m with you, I love simple recipes! I find that my life is so busy and there are so many things I want to do besides spending the majority of my free time cooking. I do have a juicer, but I don’t use it nearly as much as I should. I’m really looking forward to Spring so I can plant lots of juice worthy vegetables! I do on occasion juice carrots and absolutely love them, but because of my Candida issues I have to limit my carrot juice to just 2 oz and I can’t have any bananas. So I have been making purple cabbage and carrot juice, it is delish! I also make an Avocado Pear Green Smoothie with coconut milk…it’s one of my favorite ways to get my greens 🙂

Danielle–Thanks for the kind words! That Pumpkin Spice Latte is one of our faves. In fact, I could—and should—go for one right now! 😉

Caroline–Hope you enjoy this simple, but tasty smoothie! 🙂 I need to get some more carrot juice so I can make it again myself because my banana stockpile is growing! ;-0

Maggie–I think you will love carrot juice, especially in smoothies! I just love its natural sweetness and all that it offers in the way of the good stuff. 😉

Anastasia–I am super intrigued by both those recipes! I’ve put cabbage in a smoothie before and loved it, but have not used purple cabbage and not in conjunction with carrot juice. Must try! And the other smoothie sounds divine! All my favorite ingredients there. 😉 Best of luck with your gardening so you can create some more simple and delicious smoothie recipes! 🙂